The Orioles introduced Thursday that they’ve chosen the contract of right-hander Burch Smith from Triple-A Norfolk. Fellow righty Dillon Tate was optioned to Norfolk in a corresponding transfer. Baltimore already had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so a 40-man transfer wasn’t needed.
The 34-year-old Smith signed with the O’s on a minor league deal two weeks in the past. He’s pitched a pair of shutout innings for the Tides throughout his temporary Triple-A stint within the group, fanning a pair and solely permitting one hit alongside the way in which. He additionally tossed 29 2/3 innings out of the Marlins’ bullpen earlier this season and labored to a strong 4.25 ERA — albeit with a subpar 17% strikeout charge. Nevertheless, Smith additionally walked solely 6.7% of his opponents and stored the ball on the bottom at a hearty 47% clip.
That marked Smith’s first large league work since 2021. He spent the 2022 season with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Skilled Baseball and the 2023 season with the Korea Baseball Group’s Hanwha Eagles. A former Eleventh-round choose, Smith has pitched in elements of six large league seasons between the Padres, A’s, Royals, Giants, Brewers and Marlins, logging a mixed 5.79 ERA, 20.7% strikeout charge and 9.6% stroll charge.
Extra to return.
